Method for manufacture of a dental product

ABSTRACT

A method for the manufacture of a product such as a dental product or product intended for use in the human body and comprising a substructure of titanium or equivalent tissue-compatible material and intended for coating with a ceramic onlay material, comprises (a) transferring information (i 5 ), preferably via the tele-communications network from a client, concerning the construction of the product, and manufacture of the substructure at the production site, and also information concerning the transfer or return, of the product to the coating site for the ceramic onlay material or to the client, (b) including in the information transfer implementation of data that the substructure or the product is to be coated with one or more plasma layers compatible with the material of the substructure/product, and (c) providing the production site with a station in which the plasma layers are applied by a plasma application installation which is activated as a function of the data.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of aproduct such as a dental product, or a product for use in the human bodyand formed of with a sub-structure of titanium or other equivalenttissue-compatible material. The substructure is intended to be coatedwith ceramic onlay material (porcelain).

The present method includes information transfer, preferably via atelecommunications network, from a client.

The information may include data on the construction of the product. Themethod also includes the manufacture of the said substructure at theproduction site, and as the transfer or return of the product to thecoating site for the ceramic onlay material or to the client.

The invention also relates to a device for facilitating application ofceramic onlay material, onto a product which is made of titanium, orequivalent tissue-compatible material and intended for dental or bodilypurposes.

The invention furthermore relates to a product for use in a dental orother bodily context. A possible example of a product is a dental cap.The product comprises a substructure made of titanium or othertissue-compatible material which is intended to support one or moreceramic onlays.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is already known to use a transmission medium, for example a publictelephone network, to transfer digital information on the constructionof various dental products. With the aid of the information transfer, adentist, dental technician, etc., can, in this case, request a machiningsite to produce a given dental product. It is also known to producedental caps, dental bridge parts, etc., centrally, these being made oftitanium or other tissue-compatible material. The production, whichgenerally involves the milling of titanium material, is relativelycomplicated and requires complex technology which may not be availableto the client. The product in question can, in this case, be regarded asa semi-finished product and returned to the client for further handling.For example, the client may coat the product in question with a ceramicmaterial forming an onlay corresponding to a replacement tooth or thelike.

The transfer of information to the central machining site is effected byan information loop which can include machining data, address data forthe sender and the recipient, desired delivery date, etc.

It is already known, in the case of implants intended to becomeincorporated in the dentine, to provide the implant with a thin plasmalayer of ceramic material which is intended to facilitate theincorporation of the implant into the dentine. It is thus already knownto use plasma spray installations in conjunction with implants of thistype.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Applying onlay material (ceramic) onto a product substructure which hasbeen produced in this way is a relatively complicated procedure. Theapplication is effected in different layers. It is difficult to get theporcelain, or the ceramic, to attach to the titanium, among otherreasons because it is necessary to work at relatively low temperatures.The invention aims to solve this problem and proposes a method anddevice, and also a product, allowing the application of the onlaymaterial to be considerably simplified for the customer and client.

There is also the problem of achieving an aesthetic covering of thesubstructure when applying the porcelain.

The titanium is dark and shows through the onlay material, especially ifthe latter is to be coated with a thin layer. The invention also solvesthis problem.

The feature which can principally be regarded as being characteristic ofthe novel method is that the information transfer includesimplementation of data concerning the fact that the substructure or theproduct is to be coated with one or more plasma layers compatible withthe material of the substructure/product. The production site inquestion is, in such case, equipped with a station in which the plasmalayers can be applied by means of a plasma application installationwhich is activated as a function of the data.

A device according to the invention can principally be regarded as beingcharacterized in that it comprises support members for the product, andplasma application members for applying a plasma layer to the product.Also included is equipment which initiates reciprocal movements betweenthe support member/product and the plasma installation. The equipmentcan be activated using activation information, and when such activationinformation is supplied to the equipment, coating of one or more plasmalayers onto the substructure takes place.

The feature which can principally be regarded as characterizing aproduct according to the invention is that the substructure is coatedwith a plasma layer compatible with the material of the substructure,and with the material of each ceramic onlay applied to the structure,for the purpose of facilitating application of the onlay material for acustomer or client who has ordered the product. In one embodiment, theplasma layer can have a thickness of approximately 200 micrometers. Theplasma layer is applied on those parts which do not interact with thedentine or a corresponding part of the human body.

By means of what has been proposed above, controlled, thin plasma layerscan be obtained on the respective product. The plasma layer material ispreferably of a color which does not show through the onlay material.The layer in question considerably facilitates the application of theonlay material.

Equipment which is known can be used for the plasma layer application.The application of the plasma layer can take place at temperatures whichare considerably higher than the fusion temperature or the phasetransition temperature of the titanium. Plasma-sprayable ceramics whichare known can be used on condition that they are compatible with thetitanium material and with the onlay material. Aestheticallyadvantageous onlays can be obtained for, or by, the customer or theclient in a much simpler way than has hitherto been possible. By meansof the invention, the previous manual handling during the application ofonlay material can be considerably reduced and simplified. Uncertaintyin the application procedure can thus be eliminated. One advantage isthat the plasma layer application takes place centrally, since expensiveand relatively complicated equipment has to be used. It is alsoadvantageous to arrange the application operation at a site where alarge number of products can be processed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A presently proposed embodiment of the method, device and product havingthe characteristic features of the invention will be describedhereinbelow, time with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows, in diagram a form, an information loop or an informationpacket relating to an order for production of an identified product,

FIG. 2 shows, in a block diagram form, information transfer via atelecommunications medium to a central unit which receives theproduction information and includes a station for milling of the productand a station for plasma layer application to the product or a partthereof,

FIG. 3 shows, in a side view, parts of the plasma layer applicationequipment in conjunction with a product, in the form of a dental capsubstructure, arranged on a rotating platform, and

FIG. 4 shows a vertical cross-section of a product with onlay materialapplied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1, reference 1 shows an information loop made of different partsA, B, C and D. The information contains data A on the addressee, forexample a central production unit. Also included is data B on theclient, the desired delivery date, etc. In accordance with the presentinvention, an information section C is also included, concerning whetherthe product or part thereof is to be coated with a plasma layeraccording to what is stated below. The data in space C can, in thiscase, include the thickness of the plasma layer, the color of the plasmalayer, the number of plasma layers, etc. There is also included, in aknown manner, an information section D which includes production datafor the product in question. The information can be digital and canconsist of "ones" and "noughts" in a known manner.

According to FIG. 2, a number of customers 2, 3 and 4 can use atelephone network, for example the public telephone network 5, tocommunicate with a producer 6 or production location. Thetelecommunications system can in this case operate with so-called packettransmission of known type, in which information from each client istransported via combinable packets to the producer 6. The customershave, in a known manner, modems which are used during the transfer, andthe production station or equivalent has members 7 which can extract andidentify the information items from the customers 2, 3, 4 in a mannerwhich is likewise known per

In accordance with the concept of the invention, the production locationcan include one or more stations 8 for milling of products or productparts in a known manner. The information distinguished in the unit 7 isreceived in a unit 9 for generating guidance coordinates which are usedin conjunction with the machining or production of the product. Themachining and the manufacture of the product, for example a dental cap,can be carried out in a known manner and will therefore not be describedin any detail here.

According to the invention, the product or product part manufactured ineach production station will be coated with a plasma layer, inaccordance with what is stated below, if information C (see FIG. 1) ispresent in connection with the order. The information according to C isdistinguished in the unit 7 and is received in a unit 10 which generatesguidance coordinates and/or guidance information for a plasma layercoating installation 11 which can be arranged in connection with theproduction station or the production stations 8 or can be separate fromthese.

In FIG. 2, the information concerning the actual production itself isindicated by i₃, while milling coordinates which have been compiled arerepresented by i₂. In a corresponding manner, the information Cemanating from the unit 7 is indicated by i₃, while the machiningfunction from the unit 10 has the designation i₄. The total informationinput to the production unit is indicated by i₅, which thus includesdata according to A, B, C and D. Address information relating to theclient is stored in a unit 12, and the address information isrepresented by i₆. Products manufactured in stations 8 and 11 are thusaddressed in the unit 12. The products are then returned 13 to theclients 2, 3 and 4, or to the location specified by each client, forbuilding up the products with onlay material. The order information fromthe clients is indicated by i_(5'), i_(5") and i_(5"').

FIG. 3 shows equipment 14 for spraying on plasma layers. The equipment14 can be of a known type and operates using the known plasmaapplication principle. Starting material being sprayed on is indicatedby 15. The product in question, which has been manufactured inaccordance with the above at the station or stations 8, is set up on asupport platform 16, for example a rotating platform. The platform 16can be of the type which can be raised and lowered in the directions ofthe arrows 17 and 18. The longitudinal axis of the rotating platform isindicated by 19. The rotating platform can in this case be of the typewhere the platform is tiltable, i.e. the longitudinal axis 19 assumesdifferent directions 19', 19", etc. The rotational movements of theplatform are indicated by 20, 20' and 20", respectively. Alternatively,or in addition, the plasma spray device can be arranged in a fixed ormovable manner.

A bearing arrangement is indicated by 21, and a ceramic or powdercontainer by 22. Tilting movements of the equipment are indicated bybroken-line arrows 23. A product placed on the platform is shown by 24.The rotating platform can be rotated at a speed which can lie between100 and 500 revolutions per minute. The plasma spray equipment can inthis case operate with a material delivery 15 which gives one or moreapplied layers of 100 to 300, preferably approximately 200, micrometersin thickness. Rotations, upward and downward movements, and anymovements of the assembly 14 can in this case take place simultaneously.

FIG. 4 shows a tooth replacement or crown indicated by 25. The toothreplacement comprises a product 26 which is manufactured at the stationor stations 8 in accordance with the above. The product or thesubstructure 26 has a spray-coated plasma layer 27 which has been shownin a greatly enlarged form for the sake of clarity. Onlay material 28 ofa known type is applied on top of the layer. 27 represents a controlledlayer of ceramic which is known, for example alumina. Alternatively, thelayer can consist of a mixture of ceramics. The layer can be grey, forexample, and covers the material surface/titanium surface of thesubstructure 26. The layer 27 has a coefficient of thermal expansionwhich is compatible both with the substructure material 26 and with theonlay material 28, which too can be made up of ceramics which are known.In addition to the fact that the application of the material 28 isconsiderably simplified, the dark surface of the substructure 26 iseliminated with the aid of the grey or differently colored layer 27. Theapplication of the layer 27 can take place at several hundred degrees orat a temperature considerably above the fusion temperature of thematerial/titanium of the substructure 26. In the spray installation, thematerial 27 is present in powder form, which can be purchased in theopen market. The application thus takes place in a separate productionstage. The plasma-sprayable ceramic is sprayed through a hot arc in amanner known.

Preferably, the equipment at the stations 8 and 11 is, in the main,completely automated.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown hereinabove by wayof example, and can instead be subjected to modifications within thescope of the following patent claims and the inventive concept.

I claim:
 1. A method for producing a dental product at at least two sites, said product intended to be coated with ceramic onlay material and made from a tissue compatible material, said method comprising the steps of:transferring information data from a client to a production site, said information data representing the construction of said product, the manufacturing of a substructure of said product, the coating of said substructure with at least one plasma layer compatible with said substructure, and transfer of said product to a second site; producing said substructure with production equipment at said production site based on said information data; coating said substructure with said at least one plasma layer at said production site as a function of said information, wherein said information comprises data relating to a predetermined shape of said substructure whereby said substructure is prepared to receive said ceramic onlay; transferring said product to a second site based on said information; applying said ceramic onlay material at said second site and upon activation (i₄), initiating rapid reciprocal movements between the product and a plasma application installation with each applied plasma layer assuming a thickness of 100 to 300 micrometers.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the production equipment and the plasma application equipment are completely automated in the main.
 3. A method according to claims 1, wherein the product is rotated and pivotable in the plasma application installation which includes a stationary plasma spray member.
 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plasma application installation includes a rotatable and pivotable plasma spray member and said product is kept stationary.
 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said information is in one or more packet frames, a first packet for the production site, a second packet for client data, a third packet for plasma coating information, and a fourth packet for production data.
 6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the steps of:receiving said information with a modem at said production site; and extracting said packet frames from said information with an extraction member.
 7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said plasma coating information comprises data relating to the thickness, color, and number of plasma layers.
 8. A method for producing a dental product at at least two sites, said product intended to be coated with ceramic onlay material and made from a tissue compatible material, said method comprising the steps of:transferring an information packet from a client to a production site via a telecommunication network, said information packet comprising an addressee data frame, a client data frame, a plasma application data frame, and a production data frame; at said production site: extracting said production data; manufacturing a substructure of said product based on said production data; extracting said plasma application data; coating said substructure with one or more plasma layers based on said plasma application data to achieve a predetermined shape; transferring said product to said second site based on said client data; at said second site, coating said product with said ceramic onlay material and upon activation (i₄), initiating rapid reciprocal movements between the product and a plasma application installation with each applied plasma layer assuming a thickness of 100 to 300 micrometers. 